Can You See My Heart? A Nivenfield Story
by motyla
Summary: This is my first story I have posted, so please bear with me! The beginning is pretty, slow but it gets better, just hang in there! SIERRA AND PIERS DO /NOT/ GET TOGETHER! *SPOILER* CHRIS AND PIERS GET MARRIED! KEEP READING! Also This Nivenfield fanfic does not completely follow the game's story line because I don't actually play the game, I simply wrote this as a present!
1. Chapter 1

I leaned my head back against the arm of the wingback chair, a fire crackled beside me in the hearth warming my bare feet which hung over the arm of the chair. The manor seemed as lonely now as it did when Chris and I were children living here. Now though, I didn't even have my older brother to annoy. It was just me alone in the large house.

I had gotten the call not long ago. Chris had been rescued from the middle of the ocean in an escape pod. He was badly wounded, passed out from the traumatic events he had survived. I don't really remember my initial reaction, but the BSAA base did let me have some time off to return to our manor and await his return. Just in time to celebrate the upcoming holiday at home, the first time in six years.

Soon I heard the door open and I head people making their way inside. Heavy footsteps resounded through the parlor. It couldn't possibly have only been my brother; there must be someone else with him. I sat up and swung my legs over, peeking up to see who else could possibly be with him.

Chris helped another man limp into the room. The man seemed to have multiple injuries and was not doing well. I quickly stood and helped my brother lay the man down on the couch. The man let out a sigh of relief and smiled gratefully up at the pair of us.

I then turned to my brother and slapped him across the face, leaving a red hand print on his cheek. My hand smarted from the slap, but I wouldn't show it, I was too upset with him at the current moment. The darkness inside me broiled, and I could feel it spiking my blood. I took a deep breath, calming myself.

"What the hell Sierra?!" Chris exclaimed, putting his hand to his face.

"Dammit, Chris! Don't EVER scare me like that again!" I shouted. Despite my best efforts, tears came to my eyes and Chris pulled me into his familiar bear hug. I squeezed my brother's waist as I cried into his chest.

"I thought I had lost you!" I said looking up into his face. A stray tear slipped from my eye and slid down my cheek.

"Chin up soldier, I am not going to abandon you," Chris replied, with a smile. I laughed and wiped away the few remaining tears that pooled in my eyes. I sent him a watery smile; it was the best I could manage.

"Women," the other man joked. I turned on my heel and glared at him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"And just who the hell are you?" I challenged, staring him down.

"Captain, your sister is just like you!" the man laughed. "And to answer your question, my name is Piers Nivens." My brows rose in shock, this must be the infamous, Piers Nivens. I had heard his tale of heroism, it was to him I owed him my thanks; it was only because of him that my brother was safe with us here now.

"I am sorry, I should not have acted so rudely," I replied almost immediately. The man laughed, brushing off my apology. I don't think he would have expected any other rash response from a Redfield.

"Chris, go ahead and rest up. I will prepare dinner for tonight," I said looking to my brother. To my observation, the planes of his face seemed sharper. I could see the years of service with BSAA etched into the lines of his countenance. Gray bags hung under his hazel eyes.

"Thanks Misty," Chris grinned, ruffling my hair, before taking the seat I had previously occupied. The use of my childhood nickname caused a smile to flit across my lips.

I prepared Chris' favorite dinner of chicken penne over steak, served with steamed vegetables and rice. I set three plates out, as well as a glass of wine for each of us. I set the meal before calling the men over to eat. Chris rose from his chair with a grunt before wrapping his arm around Piers' waist, helping his injured soldier up. Slowly they made their way into the dining room.

"Whoa, you are a fantastic cook!" Piers exclaimed as he took his first bite.

"When did you figure out how to make this?" Chris asked in shock.

"Can't rely on you to cook everything," I replied, laughing at both of them.

"You cook Captain?" Piers asked curiously.

"He's one of the best chefs I know," I replied. "He taught me everything I know." Chris merely nodded. I knew my brother would not fully answer that question. Chris had been forced to grow up fast and take care of me since I was very little. After I had been born my father's career had really taken off and had never been around for us. After this our mother had run off with another man from Italy, abandoning us to this large manor to take care of ourselves. He had only been thirteen then-too young to be forced into the throws of fatherhood, but he was.

"I never would have guessed," Piers said, taking another bite. Chris stared down his meat, refusing to meet his soldier's eye.

"Sierra, where have I heard of you before?" Piers asked me when the uncomfortable moment had passed.

"I don't know what you mean," I lied. I wasn't going to talk about what had happened while Chris had been away. I quickly finished the last few bites of my dinner before collecting my plate and hurrying into the kitchen.

"Sierra?" Chris asked, following me.

"Just, leave it," I replied angrily. Chris threw his hands into the air and backed off.

A few hours later I helped Chris take Piers upstairs so he could refresh himself with a hot shower. At the insistence of Chris I left them alone. Piers felt more comfortable having my brother around to help him shower; they had spent more time around each other during their missions, so I didn't really question it. I wasn't really too keen on helping him shower anyhow. So I escaped back down to the kitchen and cleaned up the dishes from dinner. It was tedious and I hated every moment of it, but I knew it had to be done.

"Sierra, can you please come back up here to help?" Chris shouted from the top of the stairs. I towel dried my hands and raced back up. Chris had one arm under Piers, supporting him. I slipped my arm around Piers' very toned and still damp torso, letting him use my weight to support himself. His warm skin against me caused my skin to rise in goose bumps. I couldn't help but notice the proximity between the two of us and I felt the heat rise to my face, I just hoped that neither man on my right would notice.

My brother and I helped the wounded soldier into a guest room, situated not far from Chris'. I slipped away from his side and pulled back the comforter. Chris led the other man to the edge of the bed and sat him down gently. Piers' struggled to lie down, but he finally managed. Once he was settled I pulled the comforter tight around him, blushing as my hand brushed along his side.

"Thank you," Piers smiled in his intoxicating way. His dazzling eyes followed me curiously as I pulled away quickly.

"Good night!" I said before exiting the room. I knew Piers had some questions for Chris, I could see it in his eyes. I shut the door quietly and stood outside in the hall curiously.

"Why was it so important to save me?" Piers asked almost so quietly I had trouble hearing him. I held my breath, I had heard this tale. My brother had nearly torn the BSAA apart trying to find a way to rescue Piers from the collapsed city beneath the water. Finally someone had listened and Sherry had gone in and found him on the scanner, the humanity in his body barely showing up. The C-virus had managed to be his salvation just as much as his downfall.

"Every soldier is important, Piers," Chris replied, just as softly.

"But, I can't even imagine the trouble you had to go to, to get me back, Captain," Piers said.

"That's not imperative, what is significant soldier, is that you are back, safe and sound," Chris replied. I shrugged; I didn't need to hear any more.

I was about to head to my own room for bed when I realized that I did not have any gifts for Piers for Christmas. I quickly went downstairs once more and scribbled a note for my brother before hopping into my jeep. It was a hard drive into town, the roads were frosty and after dark that could potentially become a real hazard.

I didn't really know what to get for the newcomer, but I knew anything at this point would be a big surprise for him. I picked out a thick scarf that could be used to replace Piers' old worn sniper scarf, stained from the main battles and missions he had survived. I also found a nice, black finish watch that seemed to fit his personality as well. I paid for the two gifts and left, hurrying home. Hopefully Piers would like the gifts I had chosen for him.

I walked to my own room, bags in hand. I would wrap the gifts later and put them under the tree when I had the chance. I set them in the back of my closet before changing into my pajamas. The emotions of the day spun through my mind as I curled up underneath my own comforter. Soon my eyes became heavy with sleep and I gave way to the shutting down of my body.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning I got up and ran my hands through my hair. It was a new day, yet the conflicting emotions of yesterday were still permeating my mind. Hopefully a run would clear my mind. I quickly changed and plugged in my earphones. I checked on my brother and on Piers, both of whom were still fast asleep. I couldn't help but notice that both men looked about ten years younger.

I found that my daily run of nearly ten miles did nothing to clear my mind. So I simply headed back home to take a shower and fix breakfast since I didn't think that either of the two men would be awake yet.

When I walked in I was pleasantly surprised to find that Chris was in the kitchen making fresh strawberry crepes. I smiled; my brother knew that crepes had always been my weakness. He had been feeding them to me since I was a very small child.

"Go take a shower, you stink," Chris teased. I scowled, and flipped him off before heading up to my bathroom.

When I came back down after my shower to eat I found Piers sitting at the breakfast bar. He shot me his dazzling smile, his blue specked silver eyes danced in the fluorescent lights. I sent him a mirror smile, flipping my hair back over my shoulder.

"How are you feeling this morning?" I asked.

"Much better," Piers replied genuinely.

"Yeah, he didn't even need my help coming down here!" Chris teased, setting two plates on the table, one in front of each of us. Piers laughed, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I snorted, almost choking on the delicious breakfast my brother had made.

"Have you heard of the annual BSAA Christmas military ball that is going to be held in New York?" I asked, looking between the two.

"No," both men replied in unison.

"It is being held as a way to raise money for the mission. Any service member available at that time is responsible for going, to participate and gain the people's interest," I explained.

"Sounds like a lousy fundraiser to me," Chris shrugged.

"The more people who have an interest in what we do, the more money is given to the cause. More money means better weapons and better training for when we return," I countered.

"It's still a lousy fundraiser," Chris replied crossly. "I don't do dances."

"Come on, it won't be so bad, Captain," Piers interjected. "Worst comes to worst, we'll be standing in the back, beers in hand."

"Fine, dammit! I'll go!" Chris exclaimed in exasperation, throwing his hands up. "I'm clearly not going to win this argument." Piers and I cast each other a knowing look and I burst into a fit of giggles.

"Shall we go into town then?" I asked.

"Do we have to?" Chris asked in horror. He knew what going into town meant for me with the BSAA ball approaching.

"…I guess not," I replied, my voice falling. I knew that Chris hated shopping with me, but I hadn't seen him in so long I had hoped to use this as a way to simply be around him.

"I'll go with you," Piers replied gently. I shot him a sunny smile, just to annoy my brother.

"I am going to the range today," Chris said firmly, standing up to take his dishes to the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and finished my breakfast.

Piers and I climbed into the jeep and I drove us into the adorable little town that had settled not long after the Redfield Manor had been established some many, many years ago. I had to be very careful to keep from skidding on the icy roads. It wasn't a large town, but it was quaint and it had everything I needed. I pulled up beside the old house that had been converted into a dress shop.

"Here we are," I smiled. Piers made his way slowly into the shop, with some assistance. The lady at the counter smiled brightly when we entered. It had been a long time since I had been in this shop, but she had always known me as a great customer. I had never been shy to spend our money here.

"Sierra! What a nice surprise to see you, honey!" the old lady greeted enthusiastically. "It has been a long time!"

"It has been a long time Mrs. Harroway!" I replied, returning her hug.

"And who is this handsome gentleman that you have brought with you?" the lady asked, beaming at Piers.

"This is Piers; he is part of my brother's squadron. He is staying with us," I answered, chuckling at his red face.

"Of course, of course," Mrs. Harroway replied, winking at me. This time it was my turn to blush, I felt slightly guilty about the way I felt.

"So what kind of dress are you looking for my dear?" Mrs. Harroway asked, dragging me by the arm into the next room. It was lined wall to wall with dresses of all sorts.

"I need something elegant, something to wear to a military ball," I replied, looking around.

"I have just the thing!" Mrs. Harroway exclaimed. She hurried over to the far corner and pulled a dress off the hanger.

"Get in the changing rooms!" she said shooing me. Piers laughed at how easily a woman of high military standards could effortlessly be commanded by a short, plump woman with a gown in hand. I flipped him off as I pulled the curtain shut and began to undress.

"Here," Mrs. Harroway said, handing the dress to me. I quickly slipped it on, unsure of how it would look on me. The only thing I could see was it was an A-line gown of violet satin and an overlying layer of black lace. It was a tight sweetheart top that flared out from the belt of ruched flowers.

"How does it look?" I asked, looking at Piers. I stepped on to the platform and looked at my reflection. The dress looked much better than I had imagined it would. It accented my curvaceous body in the most flattering way, and it went well with my auburn hair.

"It's beautiful," Piers replied, his mouth agape.

"Really?" I asked. "You think it'll be good for the ball?"

"It's perfect!" Piers exclaimed. Though I agreed that I looked fantastic, I still wanted to make sure I had not picked the wrong dress, so Mrs. Harroway pulled a few other dresses for me-nearly ten! None of those felt as right, or comfortable on me, much to Piers' annoyance. Finally I went to try on the purple one again.

"This is the one!" I laughed, nodding at Mrs. Harroway.

I changed back out of the dress and handed it to Mrs. Harroway, "I'll take it." She nodded, hung it up and rung up the price. I paid in full, thanking her. She pulled me into another hug, thanking me for my service. She then turned to Piers.

"You take care of her now! She doesn't always know what's good for her!" she said sternly, the ghost of a smile hinting about her lips. I rolled my eyes and drug Piers out, much to the amusement of the elderly lady.

"Holy hell! It's 2:30!" I shouted. "How the hell have we been in there for four hours?!"

"You were trying on dresses!" Piers' laughed.

"You must be starving" I exclaimed. As if on cue, Piers' stomach grumbled, causing both of us to laugh. We went to a small little dinner to eat. I had blackend tilapia over rice while Piers had steak, again. We ate in silence for the most part, simply enjoying the company, but every once and a while we would comment about something.

After lunch Piers and I agreed to head back to the manor for a while. He wanted to rest and nap for a while. I understood, he was still healing from his latest adventure. So we paid and hopped back into the jeep and I drove us back to my home. Piers headed straight for his room when we returned. Even though he was doing better, he was still weak. I watched him, careful to make sure he was going to be alright, but he was fine.

Bored, I went in search of my brother. I found him in the living room, watching television. I curled up beside him, resting my head on his shoulder like I used to when I was younger. Chris simply patted my cheek in greeting. He had never really been a man of many words.

"Can we watch a movie?" I asked.

"Sure," Chris shrugged. I picked out one of my favorites, _Sherlock Holmes-A Game of Shadows_, and started it up. Pressing play, I hurried back to the couch, resuming my seat as the movie began.

"Captain!" Pier's strangled call came from the dining room about halfway through. Chris and I raced back into the other room. Piers was doubled over in his chair, clutching his arm which was sparking electricity.

"Come on soldier!" Chris shouted. "Damn it Piers, you can pull through this!"

"Move!" I said, pushing his large frame out of my way. I crouched down to the man before me.

"Look here!" I commanded. Hearing the same authority in my voice that he was used to hearing from my brother, Piers looked up and his silver eyes locked on mine.

"Now breathe," I said a little more gently. Piers nodded and sucked in his breathe. I led him through several different breathing exercises until the pain had passed and the electricity stopped sparking.

"It is dangerous for you to keep that sort of force within yourself," I explained. I helped him up and led him outside. I took his hand and placed it on to the soft grass, saying "When you feel an episode coming on, find a solid patch of ground and release it there. Another way to release this sort of energy is to learn how to control it. Train with it in controlled situations and you will be able to use it in battle, but only as a last resort. It will drain you greatly, both physically and mentally."

Piers stared up at me from where we were crouched on the ground. His battle hardened face was softened by his expression. I couldn't help but blush, the way he was looking at me was so intense. I pulled away and left the men outside, racing up to my room. My heart was pounding, it had been a long time since a man had looked at me like that and I wasn't ready for that yet. I couldn't forget Maverik.

I sat on my bed, my knees pulled up to my chin. My curly auburn hair fell in waves down around me. I knew that my brother and Piers would undoubtedly have questions for me now. Questions that I knew I could never answer.

A knock sounded on my door. It was gentler than the knock I associated with my brother. His was heavy and obnoxious, this knock was lighter.

"Come in," I replied, not looking up. The door opened softly and Piers walked in. He shut the door behind me and walked over. He sat down on the edge of the bed and there we sat silently for a few minutes.

"I remembered where I have heard of you before," Piers said softly. I looked up in shock. "You are the reason we know about the anti-virus."

I hung my head. Memories surged through my brain and I felt the tears well up, and my eyes burned as I tried to hold them back. I did not want to see this brave soldier see me so weak, but of course as is my luck, my body betrayed me and two huge tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Hey, hey," Piers whispered, wiping away my tears.

"I'm sorry," I sniffed, choking out a laugh.

"There is no need for that," he replied. "I have you to thank for even being able to be here."

"If you knew the whole story then you wouldn't be so happy," I snapped, pulling away. I scooted away and stared out the window. Piers sat there for a moment, starring at me, trying to figure me out. "Maverik was in my squad for several years," Piers said gently. "He was a good guy." A sob escaped my lips. "I remember when we learned of his death. There was not a dry eye in the base. I can't even imagine having been there."

"He died in my arms…" I replied, still not looking at Piers. "I watched the light go out of his eyes. After that Wesker caught me by the waist and injected the C-virus straight into my heart. Ada was actually the one who saved me. The anti-virus had been completed the day before and had never been tested, but she wasn't gunna let me die there. She injected it only seconds later, while Leon attacked Simmons, driving him back just far enough to get me out of there. I don't remember much of that next week as I fought off the deadly virus and many people thought I was going to die."

"Sierra!" Piers gasped, his mouth widening in horror. He reached for me again, but I shied away. If he did, I would burst out sobbing. That day was so painful to remember.

"I fought through it, we Redfield's are a strong bunch, but the virus still lives inside of me. It is a struggle I must face every day. Some days I want to just give in, but I can't. It would kill my brother," I finished. I finally raised my eyes to his. "I tell you this because you are the only one who could ever understand."

Piers crossed the distance between us and wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me close. I rested my head upon his chest, breathing in his scent. I felt safe in his arms, even though I could feel the electricity running under his skin. He rested his head atop mine. Fat tears streamed down my face, staining his shirt. His callused thumb brushed them away.

"What is going on here?!" Chris asked, barging into my room. I looked up from Piers' arms up into the furious face of my brother.

"He was helping me, Chris," I defended, pulling out of the embrace.

"Sure, with what Sierra? How to be intimate one-oh-one?!" Chris shouted.

"You could never understand!" I shouted back. "Piers and I have something in common!"

"Like what?!" Chris exclaimed.

I let out a scream of frustration and stormed out of the room. Of course Chris had to come in and ruin our moment. Piers stayed back to talk to Chris, but I hid in my favorite place since I was a child- the laundry room. There were so many places to hide there.


	3. Chapter 3

After several hours to collect myself and get over my ridiculous feelings of apathy and depression, I grabbed my riffle and headed out to the shooting range, shrugging a jacket on, on my way outside. The serene valley had always calmed me, but as every other Redfield before me, so did shooting a gun.

I tied my hair back off my face and looked through the telescope. I found the bulls-eye and fired. The recoil didn't even faze me now, and I chuckled as a memory of the first time I shot a gun flitted through my head. Chris had let me try when I was thirteen-he had been twenty-six then- and I had missed the target completely, the recoil taking me by surprise and I fell on my ass. Chris had laughed at me then, but I knew he had been a proud brother when I had joined the BSAA, twelve years later on my twenty-fifth birthday, only months after I had graduated college.

Chris had joined the BSAA two years after that incident, it was his twenty-eighth birthday. I was fifteen then, I remember dreading coming home to this huge empty house, but I knew that Chris couldn't stay home and watch after me forever. I learned how to forge his signature when I needed it for school, but he had taught me the basics about living on my own.

"I thought I might be able to find you out here," Chris said, walking up behind me. I jumped in shock, swiveled on my heel, pointing my gun at him. Realizing that it was only him, I lowered my weapon. Chris was alone, his hands in his pockets. I knew that he was going to apologize because he kept looking down and kicking his heel back and forth in the dirt.

"I'm just relieving some stress," I replied, turning back and firing again.

"I'm sorry Misty," Chris said, using my old nickname based off of my favorite lemon-lime soda.

"I know," I replied turning back to him. "I'm your little sister, you raised me. You have been my brother and my dad for so long. It is normal for you to react that way. I was upset about other things as well."

"Piers told me everything," Chris replied, still looking down. I swore and shot off another round.

"Misty, stop for a minute?" Chris asked, putting his hand on my shoulder. I sighed and nodded, I handed him the gun which he set on the ground out of my way. I looked up into my brother's eyes.

"I am so sorry, I couldn't have been there for you kiddo," Chris said in the most apologetic voice I have ever hear uttered from my brother's mouth, his voice was gruff with emotion. He pulled me into his arms, wrapped in a tight embrace.

"There is nothing to apologize for," I replied looking up. "You had your own business to attend to." I saw the look in Chris' eyes and I knew that he was about to protest, as he always does. "Chris, you can't protect me forever. I'm an adult woman now. I can take care of myself. You must take care of yourself, I'll be alright."

Chris sighed and nodded back, pulling away from his hug. He ruffled my hair, a clear sign that he was getting back to his own self. He only ruffles my hair because he knew it annoyed me. I laughed and rolled my eyes, pushing him away I saw that Piers had seen everything.

"Get everything worked out?" Piers asked walking over, picking up the rifle. He looked up at me and raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah," I laughed, pushing Chris. My brother scowled at me, but Piers intervened. He walked in between us and turned to me.

"Sierra, can we take a walk?" he asked. I was taken aback. He wanted to talk to me after I had shown such weakness?

"Sure," I replied.

"Have her back for dinner, soldier," Chris growled protectively. Piers laughed and saluted, then the two of us started walking, heading back towards the town. Piers didn't talk at first and I my mind whirred as I wondered what he possibly wanted to talk to me about.

About halfway to the town Piers let out an exclamation of pain, grimacing and gripping his arm. I pulled him to the ground and rested his hand on a frozen plod of dirt. I felt the electricity pass through his hand into the Earth below us. I tried to pull the pain out of his body, but that was much harder to help him with.

"Remember, you do not control the electricity. You guide it through you, you can release it, but you are not its master," I said.

"Thank you," Piers panted, wiping his brow when the episode had passed. I smiled and let go of his hand.

"Can we just rest here?" Piers asked looking up at me.

"Of course, I don't want to push you," I replied. I plopped down on the ground and rubbing my hands together for warmth. Piers sent me a questioning look, but I ignored him and put my fists up to my mouth, blowing warm air onto them. As much as I liked to be a hard ass, I hated being cold.

"Sierra?" Piers asked nervously. "Can I ask you for some advice?"

"Sure, what's bothering you?" I found Piers looking into the valley, twisting his sniper scarf in his hands. Something was troubling him and it was written all across his face.

"So… there is this person," he started. "They have become my whole world and I don't think that I can go a day without them. One smile from them is like the sun shining on me. My breath catches when they walk into the room. If I am away from them, there is this void inside and I look forward to the moment I get to see them again. "

"Sounds like you really love this person," I replied, a smile gracing my face.

"Yeah, but I-I don't know if I can tell them," he said, hanging his head. "I don't think they love me like I love them."

"May I ask of whom we speak?" I asked curiously.

"It's a inconsequential matter," he replied, shaking off my question. I shrugged; it wasn't really of any importance to me.

"Well, you can only take a shot in the dark," I replied. "Who knows, it could work out in your favor."

"Thank you, Sierra," Piers said softly, a smile creeping across his face.

"You're very welcome," I replied. We stayed there and chatted about other things for a while, until dusk started to creep across the valley, and shivers racked my whole body, my teeth chattering. Piers refused to see me suffer the cold and forced me to go home. I helped Piers stand again and together we walked back.

"Chris will shoot me if you catch a cold," Piers laughed.

We reached the manor well after dark had fallen and we entered as quietly as we could, so as not to attract my brother's attention. Unfortunately, Chris was waiting for us. He was leaning against the wall; his arms cross over his broad chest, a dark look plastered on his face.

"I am going to go take a shower!" I said quickly, escaping upstairs before my brother could protest. I felt kind of bad about leaving Piers to deal with my brother, but I knew that he had a better chance to explain things. Chris and I are both of the same hot headed and short tempered blood. If I had stayed it quickly would have turned into a screaming match.

I started the water for a shower and waited for it to warm up enough before stripping down. I let the almost scalding water wash over my body, rinsing away my worries and anxieties. Without realizing it, I had begun to sing my favorite Christmas carols, letting my contralto voice fill the steamy room. I was excited to have my brother and Piers home for Christmas this year.

It was almost an hour later when I stepped out again, feeling completely refreshed. I dried off and changed into a pair of gray yoga pants and a white tank top, pulling my green hoodie on over top. It was way too big for me, almost three sizes too large. It had been Chris' before he left to join the BSAA, but I had stolen just before he left, unbeknownst to him. It lent comfort and support when he was gone. I plaited my hair back off my face before heading downstairs. I was almost afraid to see how much damage Chris had done to Piers in the amount of time I had been in the shower.

I didn't hear any voices as I walked down the stairs, which struck me as strange. I would have thought to still hear Chris chewing out Piers. I walked through the kitchen, parlor, and dining room-nothing. It wasn't until I reached the living room that I found something. I walked around the corner and shouted in shock.

Chris had Piers pushed up against the wall. Piers' tight shirt was pushed up as my brother's large hand explored his rock hard abs, his thumb rubbing soft circles on Piers' flesh. Meanwhile Piers held Chris' face in his hands, ever so gently, lip-locked in one of the most passionate kisses I have ever seen. I could literally feel the love and the sexual tension passing between them. The two men jumped apart in shock, when they heard my shout, wide-eyed and panting slightly.

"W-what?!" I exclaimed, my mind reeling. I looked between the two of them. What the hell had happened while I took a shower?! How had they gone from Chris nearly killing his fellow soldier, to making out intensely?

"Sierra, I know this comes as a shock," Piers said, trying to explain the situation, but I cut him off.

"Hang on," I said, putting my hand up. Piers fell silent, Chris just stood beside him, his face flushed.

"So the person you had been telling me about, was my _BROTHER?_" I asked incredulously, looking at Piers.

Piers nodded sheepishly, sneaking a glance at Chris. Chris wouldn't look at me, he seemed confused about what had just happened. I leaned against the wall and breathed in.

"Okay," I said, smiling up at the two men.

"What?" Chris asked.

"Well, a lot makes sense now," I replied, wiggling my eyebrows. "You never came home with any women. Ever."

"I had to take care of you," Chris defended, his eyes flashing.

"Doesn't mean that you couldn't have had a girlfriend," I retorted, my hands on my hips.

"Do you realize how much energy I spent, raising you!" Chris exclaimed. "My sister comes first."

"You were afraid of dad," I exclaimed, a light bulb finally going off in my head. "You've known since _at least_ since I was born that you weren't interested in girls! You only initially joined the military because of Grandfather's expectations!"

"I joined because I believe in this cause! Just like you Sierra!" Chris shouted.

"It would preoccupy your mind! You wouldn't have to focus on their disappointment! You could fulfill their hopes and dreams for the 'perfect son!'" I snapped. "It has taken you thirty-nine years to actually admit who you are!"

"Dammit Sierra!" Chris swore. I could tell that he was about to say something else, but Piers intervened, again.

"Both of you! Shut up!" Piers cried in exasperation. Chris and I looked at the other man in shock. We had almost forgotten he was there in the midst of our squabble.

"None of that matters!" Piers said sharply.

"You're right," I replied, breathing out deeply. "I am sorry, both of you." Chris hung his head and I could tell he felt as guilty as I did for our outburst. It was completely inappropriate for the situation at hand. We had acted like children, instead of dealing with it like adults.

"I do not want you to think I was upset with either of you. Simply surprised," I explained. "I think your personalities complement each other very well. I would rather Piers be with my brother than someone who doesn't appreciate him for himself. I am truly happy for you both."

"Thank you Misty," Chris replied softly. "It means a lot."

"Hey! Just cause I am your little sister, doesn't mean I can't be protective of you as well!" I laughed. A grin broke across Chris' face and Piers squeezed his hand.

"Well….that went better than I could have hoped," Pier said sarcastically, when the tense moment had passed.

"Hey, it's gunna take some getting used to, don't get me wrong," I replied, taking a bottle of water out of the fridge. "And I don't want to see….intimate moments!" The men saluted with crooked grins as I took a sip. I turned to leave, but Chris pulled me back and into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him and breathed in his scent, I could never be mad at my brother very long.

"Well, I think I am calling it quits for the night," I replied with a smile, turning to walk upstairs.

"Is that my sweatshirt?" Chris called after me. I turned with a grin and wiggled my eyebrows in response.

"It is!" he exclaimed with a laugh.

My stomach turned as I tossed and turned that night. I had reacted to Piers' presence in a way that I had not thought possible after Maverick's death. I had thought that maybe there was someone out there who could be interested in me; maybe it could have been the attractive man my brother had brought home for the holidays. Yet I had read the signs all wrong. He had never been interested in me. The only person he had eyes for had turned out to be my brother.

Piers was the first and only person I had ever seen Chris with. When he had come home, or whenever we had gone out somewhere, it had always been the two of us, and occasionally my boyfriend. Needless to say, whomever I had been seeing at the time had not stuck around much longer after their encounter with Chris. He was a large man, his five foot eleven frame weighing in at a little over two hundred and fifteen pounds of lean muscle. His stature and military background intimated most men I was interested. But now it was his turn to shine with this wonderful man. Piers was dedicated to keeping Chris alive, he had proven that, not only to Chris and I, but to the entire world. Anyone willing to sacrifice themselves for my brother was worthy enough to date them, at least in my eyes.

Finally I realized that I wasn't going to get any sleep, so I got up and went downstairs to watch a movie. I didn't want to disturb my brother, or Piers whom I had heard go to bed not long after I did. I tiptoed along the hall as quietly as I could and down the stairs.

After popping in my favorite Christmas movie, _Miracle on 34th Street_, I crawled on to the plush couch and wrapped a soft blanket around my shoulders. My head rested on the armrest, which had been crafted at the perfect angle for lounging.

I got through most of the movie, but about two-thirds of the way through, my eyes grew heavy. I tried to keep them open in an attempt to finish the movie, but I could not resist the callings of nature. My eyes closed and soon enough I had fallen fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

When I awoke I had no recollection of where I was or how I had gotten there, but soon enough it came to me that I was lying on the couch in the living room. The TV had been turned off and I had somehow acquired another blanket. I remembered everything that had happened yesterday and just laid my head back down. I was so comfortable; I didn't want to get up. The sun streaming in through the large windows told me that I had slept in much later than I usually do.

I debated back and forth inside my head, but with a groan I pushed the blankets off and stood, stretching. I was feeling oddly lethargic today. In spite of this, however, I went to investigate what the other members of this household were up to. It was unusually quiet, which unnerved me. It brought back lonely memories. Unfortunately the house seemed to be completely empty. I started to worry; neither Chris nor Piers had left a note saying where they had disappeared too and the weather outside seemed like it was going to break.

Dark clouds hovered over the town whilst the wind whipped around. We had been warned of an impending storm system which had been foreseen to roll through sometime this week. I dug through my purse to find my phone, finally reaching it near the bottom. I quickly dialed Chris' number, but I got no answer. I tried again, still no answer. Hoping that third time was a charm, I tried once more-again nothing. My mind spun with everything that could have gone wrong.

I ran my hand through my long locks trying to figure out what to do. To get my mind off of the stress I decided to make Christmas cookies. It was a fun activity, and I was pretty sure that both Chris and Piers would like the sweet treat whenever they returned from wherever they went. I knew that both men were more than capable of handling themselves in bad weather, but still, a sister will worry.

A stroke of inspiration struck and I pulled out my phone again. I called an old friend from high school, Jake. He agreed to come over since he had nothing better to do all day. Jake and I had not had an opportunity to hang out since I had joined the BSAA, a little over a year ago. So this was an almost perfect opportunity for the both of us.

I threw my hair up into a messy bun and pulled out a bowl with which to mix the main ingredients in for the sugar cookies. I worked quickly, funneling my anxieties and worries into this activity. I was so focused that I missed the front door shutting and the light footsteps that made their way towards the kitchen.

"Sierra!" Jake exclaimed, causing me to jump in surprise. I nearly dropped the metal bowl that I was holding, stirring its contents.

"Dammit Jake! Don't do that!" I said, with a shaky laughed. I set the bowl down and walked over to him. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. I clung to him as he rubbed my back, soothing me slightly.

"What happened?"Jake asked looking into my eyes. I explained my anxieties to him, and like always he was able to calm me down.

"Come on then, we going to make these cookies?" Jake asked with his sunny smile that reflected in his brown eyes when I felt better.

"Yes!" I laughed. I dragged him over to the island and smacked his hand away from the dough as he tried to swipe some to eat.

We finished out the dough, placing them in small balls on the cookie sheet to cook in the oven. While those were cooking I showed Jake the magic of making homemade icing. He got a little crazy and wiped the sugar glaze across my cheek with a chuckle. I dashed some across his forehead in retaliation, thus leading to an all out icing war. Soon we were both covered in green and red icing.

"Ah! Stop!" I cried with a laughed as he went to put more icing on my face. Jake ignored me and put the last little bit of icing on my nose. I stuck my lip out to pout, but froze when he took my face into his hands delicately. His brown eyes were filled with so much emotion as he stared into my eyes. My breath hitched as he leaned down and placed his lips ever so gently on the tip of my nose. His hands snaked around my waist, and before I knew it he placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

For the first time since Maverick had died, I didn't feel guilty about being with another man. I felt comfortable and safe. Jake had always been there for me and it was only now starting to sink in that he would always be the one for me. His eyes searched mine for an answer. I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed the distance between us again, pressing my lips against his once more. I felt him smile into our kiss, but we jumped apart as the door slammed shut. I spun around and found Chris and Piers walking into the parlor, a very large fir tree held between the two of them.

"What the hell happened to you?" Piers asked, cocking his eyebrow at me.

"Who the hell are you?" Chris asked staring down Jake. Jake's eyes widened at the intimidating figure of my brother standing in the doorway, a large fir tree resting on the ground as his fellow soldier walked up behind him, brushing off some loose snow. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Chris, this is Jake Macauley! We went to high school together," I replied. Chris' face drained of all color and Piers took in a sharp intake of breath.

"Macauley?" Chris asked.

"Yes, and you are Chris Redfield, captain of the Edonian campaign," Jake replied, his voice icy and cold. My smile fell as I looked between the three men. Piers had stepped slightly in front of my brother, yet I felt as if I could cut the tension with a knife. Obviously Chris had not told me something.

"I tried to save him," Chris said, his voice just barely above a whisper.

"We were separated and attacked, we barely had time to react," Piers added. "Finn was a good and honorable soldier in battle."

"Thank you," Jake replied, his voice and face softening. "I miss him every day. There is nothing worse than losing a sibling."

"I can't even imagine," Chris said looking directly at me.

The timer went off in the kitchen and I turned and hurried out of the room. I checked the oven and found the cookies were done. I pulled them out and quickly coated them with the remainder of the icing left in the bowl after the icing fight. I left them on the counter to cool as I wiped icing off my face with a damp hand towel. This left the men to their own devices, a thought which slightly scared me, but it gave them a chance to work out whatever laid between them.

I finished tending to the cookies, setting them into a nice tray. I brought the dish into the living room, only to find the three men standing around the tree which was now set in its stand, against the wall. Broad smiles adorned their faces in friendship and mutual love of the holidays.

"Anyone want a cookie?" I asked.

"That sounds delectable!" Piers replied with a smile, taking a Santa cookie from the top. Following his lead, both Chris and Jake took one as well.

"Well, are we gunna decorate this tree?" Jake asked, looking at me, a smile playing across his lips. I nodded and set the tray on the table and went to get the decorations, when Chris stopped me.

"I'll get them Misty, you relax," Chris said, his hand on my shoulder.

"It's not a problem, Chris," I replied confused.

"You've been really stressed lately, just relax. Let us help you out," Piers said, leading me over to the couch. With a sigh of annoyance I objected and sunk into the soft embrace of the seat cushions. Jake shot me a curious look, but sat down beside me, wrapping his arms around me. I leaned into his side, resting my head on to his shoulder while we waited for Chris and Piers to return.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Sierra, happy birthday to you!" Chris and Piers sang, loudly and very out of tune, as they walked back into the living room. Together they carried a cake, twenty seven candles lit on top, illuminating the features on their faces. Jake joined in as they sang the song once more.

I couldn't believe it! Chris had actually, sort of, thrown me a birthday party. It had been the first party I had been able to have since joining the BSAA. With my birthday only two days before the holiday it was difficult for Chris or I to celebrate since we usually had to work.

"Make a wish!" Jake whispered in my ear, his warm breath sending chills through my body. '_I wish every Christmas could be this wonderful'_, I wished silently before blowing out the candles on the carefully decorated cake. Piers cut the cake, handing a piece to everyone while Chris disappeared into the next room once more.

"Oh my!" exclaimed after finishing my first bite. "This is delicious!"

"Chris and I made it this morning while you slept," Piers replied with a chuckle. Just then Chris walked back into the room, his arms filled with beautifully wrapped presents. I gasped; I had not expected something like this from my brother. His face lit up when he saw my surprised expression.

"You didn't have to do any of this!" I said, my voice cracking with emotion. "You being here is enough of a present for me."

"Sierra, you know me better than that," Chris replied. He set the gifts down on the table before me and ruffled my hair.

"Come on! What did you get?!" Piers asked excitedly. I looked up and I saw the childish joy reflected in his eyes and I couldn't help but to laugh. I took the first present and opened it.

Overall I collected a new gun, a leather jacket, and a crystal necklace from the Czech Republic from Chris. Piers had given me a pair of gorgeous earrings and a fabulous leather boot heels. Jake, who had no idea of the surprise party, improvised and asked me to accompany him to the BSAA military ball as his date, which I of course accepted.

The rest of the night I spent just enjoying the company of family and friends. Together we ate cake and drank wine, the proper way to celebrate a birthday. The large house, which had always felt cold and lonely to me, now felt warm and welcoming. For the first time in my life, it felt like a home.


	5. Chapter 5

Today is Christmas Eve and I have much to do. I know that our cousin, Claire Redfield, would not be able to make it in this Christmas, which greatly depressed me. I always looked forward to spending time with her, regardless I wanted everything spick and span for the holidays this year. I changed quickly and went to wake Chris and Piers from their slumber. Needless to say they weren't excited to see me so early in the morning, but I could care less at this moment in time. So much needs to be done to prepare for the next day.

I heated up a few frozen cherry tarts for breakfast since I knew that Chris would not stand to skip a meal if it could be avoided. The men finally lumbered down, sleep lines still crisscrossing their faces. I smiled brightly at both of them, serving them the hot and delicious pastries.

"What is wrong with you?" Chris asked as I whirled about the kitchen, getting ready for the cooking marathon that I would prepare today.

"Nothing is wrong, Chris," I retorted, climbing down off the step-stool and placing the metal mixing bowl on the counter. "Tomorrow is Christmas, we have to be ready!" Chris simply cocked his eyebrow at me, not understanding what I was meaning.

"Piers, after breakfast, I need you to start cleaning the downstairs. I mean, vacuuming, dusting, polishing, etc," I said turning to the other man whom had been silent up until this point. He looked up at me in surprise.

"And Chris, I want you to do the same upstairs," I said, turning back to my brother.

"W-what?" Chris stammered.

"Yes, if you two are to be a part of this household this Christmas, I need your help getting ready! And don't act like you two can't do this. You fight bioterrorism day in and day out, yet you two get cowed by the mere mention of dusting!" I replied, putting my hands on my hips. "How sad!"

The men turned and looked at each other, their eyes wide in shock. The holiday monster had consumed Sierra. They had never even bothered to think of the technicalities that went into the celebrations. All they had ever known was the fun and joy in being around family on Christmas day.

"And what are you going to be doing?" Chris asked, getting his voice back.

"Cooking," I replied simply.

"Do I get to help you?" Chris asked, perking up. I knew he would try to worm his way out of his assigned chores and help me cook which would be much more interesting.

"Nope," I replied with an evil smile.

"Dammit Sierra!" Chris swore. I could only laugh at his pathetic attempts. So I turned my attention back to the last few bites of my waffle.

As soon as Chris and Piers had taken the last bite of their breakfast I shooed the both of them from the kitchen. I needed to hurry and clean up the few dirty dishes before started on creating the magnificent feast for tomorrow. My plan was to cook everything today and simply heat it all back up tomorrow, so I wouldn't have to spend my Christmas day slaving over a hot oven.

For the next few hours I spent running around cooking the honeyed ham, green casserole covered in bacon, rolls and croissants, candied yams, cranberry salad. Whilst all that food was either cooking I prepared the fudge, cheesecake and sweet pomegranate sauce, caramel apple pie, eggnog, and wassal. The kitchen was filled with the aromatic scents of the holiday that I so love.

I passed the time by singing my favorite carols, twirling around the kitchen with my mixing bowls. Back when I had been younger and naïve I had dreamed about becoming an internationally recognized singer. As I grew older I realized this had only been the fantasy of a little girl. I quickly learned the ways of the world and realized that the job that my brother had was much more interesting and honorable than a singer. Yet, I still loved to sing when I had to do chores.

"Damn it smells delicious in here!" Piers swore when he walked into the kitchen to grab a sandwich for lunch, almost three hours later. I smiled up at him, taking a moment's break from cooking.

"Have you taken a single break?" he asked, sitting down at the counter. I shook my head and poured the fudge batter into a pan. I slid the pan into the second oven before turning back to face him, wiping my hands on my shirt.

"Sierra, take a minute and eat something!" Piers pulled out the seat beside him, patting it, but then the timer went off for the rolls. I shot him an apologetic look and scurried to take them out to cool.

"How is the cleaning coming?" I asked, putting the rolls into a woven basket.

"It's alright," Piers replied. "I don't suspect it will be too much longer until I am finished down here."

"Wonderful!" I smiled and sat down for the first time since breakfast.

Finally, after about seven hours of cooking, baking, and mixing, I had finished all the cooking. Chris and Piers joined me on the couch for a respite after their day of intense cleaning. Everything looked beautiful, but something was missing. I quickly figured out that the Christmas tree was still bare. Chris had refused to trim the tree until after celebrating my birthday, there for separating the holiday from my birthday.

"Chris, Piers, we must decorate the tree!" I exclaimed.

"Shit, you're right," Chris muttered. "Here I'll make the popcorn and get cranberries for stringing. Piers, will you get the boxes if Sierra shows you where they are?"

"Of course Captain!" Piers replied, smiling his dazzling smile. I pulled myself off the couch and lead Piers up three flights of stairs into the dark reaches of the attic. I didn't necessarily like being up here, but Piers took care of the large boxes that held the decorations we were looking for. I went to get one, but he stopped me.

"You've done enough, go relax and I'll get these," Piers said. I sighed and walked back down, Piers following me. I opened the box after he set it on the floor in front of the tree. Chris walked in a bowl of popcorn and a bowl of fresh cranberries in each arm.

"Lookie Chris!" I vociferated excitedly. I pulled a homemade ornament out of the large box and held it up for him to see. It looked much like a hardened dog biscuit that was painted green. On one side it had _Christopher James Redfield_scrawled in the obvious handwriting of a small child.

"Put it away!" Chris hissed with a scowl as Piers entered the room once more, carrying another large box.

"It's adorable Captain!" Piers said, barely covering his snickers. Chris set down the bowls with a glare. I smirked and hung the small ornament on the tree beside me, the first of many.

"I think I need a drink," Chris retorted.

"Oh no you don't!" Piers replied sternly looking up at Chris. I looked between the two men with curiosity.

"I can handle myself," Chris said.

"You are not going to ruin this Christmas with your addiction," Piers shot back. "You owe it to Sierra."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "Since when did you become an alcoholic?!"

"Misty," Chris said with a sigh. He suddenly sounded tired, like he hadn't rested in many weeks. "I lost my whole squad in Edonia." Chris floundered for a better explanation, but of course he failed.

"It runs in the family," Chris said, trying once more to explain himself again. "Dad, Uncle Henry, and Grandfather were all alcoholics."

"I _never_ saw them drink," I replied.

"That's because dad was never around after you were born. Uncle Henry died of liver failure, caused by his drinking, and Grandfather tried his hardest to hide it from you when he came to visit," Chris said. I sat there on the floor in shock. I felt like my whole life had been a lie. Every male in my life had turned to alcohol.

"It was hard on Chris," Piers said taking up Chris' story. I looked at him, trying to keep my eyes from watering.

"I had a hard time finding him afterwards, and by that time he had already turned to alcohol. But Sierra, he hasn't had any alcohol, save the glasses of wine we have had with dinner," Piers explained gently. I nodded and turned back to the boxes beside me.

An awkward passed between the three of us, but it quickly passed as a log in the fire place popped, causing me to jump. Chris and Piers laughed at my reaction and soon the mood returned to normal. Together we worked together to put the rest of the ornaments on the tree. We laughed at the silly little things we had made as children, wondering what the hell the teachers had been on when we they had asked us to make them. Piers even helped string the lights.

Once all the decorations were up we were almost finished trimming the tree. I brought out the sewing kit which was mainly only used at Christmas for this specific purpose. We sat in front of the TV watching the Christmas specials as we created our popcorn and cranberry strings to drape across the tree. It took Piers a while to get the hang of it, but after about ten tries he finally got it.

I couldn't help but smile as Chris leaned across the bowls and pressed a kernel of popcorn into Piers' mouth. Piers opened his lips to accept the foreign object, much to Chris' obvious delight. His thumb brushed across the stubble that had begun to form on Piers' face, and I saw the younger man shiver slightly at the subtle touch. His electricity sparked under his skin as he stared into the hazel eyes of my brother.

After about an hour or so, we had finished about eight different strands. Chris helped to adorn the tree with the strands on the high portion of the tall tree where neither Piers' nor I could reach by ourselves. The tree was absolutely gorgeous now, all decked out. To finish everything off Chris set the bright, stained glass star at the top of the tree.

I stood back and admired our work, tears burned my eyes. I was so happy. I turned to the two of them and threw my arms around them, hugging them tightly. Chris and Piers seemed taken aback by this sudden show of affection, but wrapped their strong arms around my slender frame. I couldn't have even imagined a better Christmas.

I went to put the remaining tissue paper back into the decoration tubs when I saw something sparkling at the bottom of one. I pulled it out and burst into a fit of giggles. It was a Santa hat my aunt had given me when I was seven. It had a very long tail and was completely covered in red sequins.

"What are you laughing at?" Chris asked from where he now sat, in the wingback chair that faced the fire. His back was to me, light bulb went off in my mind as I got the most wonderful idea. A grin spread across my lips as I stood quietly; using the silent step I had learned during training in the BSAA, I snuck up behind him.

"Sierra?" Chris asked, my silence tipping him off. I pulled the hat down over his head before skipping out of arms reach, giggling manically.

"You make one sexy Santa," Piers smirked. "Tell me; am I on the nice list?"

"I believe Piers Robert Nivens, that you are on the naughty list," Chris replied, his voice low as he replied in a voice I had never heard him use before.

"Mmm, tell me more," Piers purred, climbing on to Chris' lap, straddling the larger man. His hands gripped my brother's hips, pressing his lips against Chris'. Chris wrapped his arms around Piers, allowing his fellow man to explore his mouth. Piers moved closer as his heart rate increased, moving his mouth away from Chris', following the strong jaw-line. Chris felt like he was simply melting, giving way to Piers' demands. If he had not been sitting down already Chris was sure his legs would have given out. He had never felt this sort of fiery passion, filled with only the intense need of more before, and only Piers could satisfy that need.

This outward display of such affection told me that it was time for me to leave. I slipped out of the room, heading up to my room. Now was the perfect time to wrap the presents for the two men, which were currently still hidden in the back of my closet. Even though the scene had taken me by surprise I could only smile, my brother was finally happy with the man of his dreams. It was written all over the way they behaved together.


	6. Chapter 6

"SIERRA!" someone screamed, bursting into my room. I opened my eyes blurrily as someone pounced on my bed. I was able to make out the form of Piers hovering above me, his eyes dancing with boyish delight. I groaned and tried to push him away, but I wasn't strong enough for that.

"Sierra! Wake up!" Piers said shaking my shoulders. "It's Christmas!"

"Piers, go away!" I grumbled, rolling over. I had caught a glimpse of the clock; it was nine o'clock in the morning. It was later than I would have suspected them to let me sleep in, but still earlier than I would have liked.

"Not until you get up!" Piers laughed. His hands found my sides and soon I found myself at his mercy as he tickled me. I spazzed out, trying to get away from him, only to end up falling off the bed on to the hardwood floor below. A deep laugh came from the doorway and when I looked up I found Chris leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his bare chest, and a bright smile across his face.

"Merry Christmas," Chris said in a jovial manner, holding out his hand to help me up. I took it and let him pull me up.

"Is he always this bouncy in the mornings?" I asked Chris with a smirk.

"Only on Christmas," Piers exclaimed, looking out my window to see the countryside had been layered in a soft fluffy layer of snow.

"Let's see what awaits us downstairs, then!" I replied. "I'll race you!" Piers and I pushed past Chris, running down the halls, using the banister near the stairs to propel myself ahead of Piers. Unfortunately Piers was still faster than I and he beat me to the tree.

Presents glistened in the sunlight that streamed in from the window, illuminating the entire room. Our stockings were filled with assortments of candies and such as they hung from the mantle of the fireplace. I don't know who had set up the stockings and filled them, they had not been there when I took my presents down to put them under the tree last night, but I was overjoyed to find all my favorite candies inside.

"Here, this one is for you," Piers said handing a package to me. I took it and sat it on the couch cushion, opposite of my brother. Piers handed another package to Chris who smiled brightly at the younger man. I felt the connection between them as their hands touched. It was like a crystalline silver thread that connected them, rooted in the very core of their souls.

I blinked and the moment had passed. Piers moved away from Chris and picked up another present. This was another one for me. I took it and set it next to the one he had given to me before. The next was one for himself. Piers went on like this, divvying out the gifts between the three of us, until each of us had a decent pile of presents.

We decided that we would open the first present together. So we each took a single package in our hands and counted down, "One, two, … three!" We ripped off the paper and tore into the boxes. Chris pulled out a sterling silver ring from Piers, it was like a lot like an old class ring. It was engraved with the symbol of the BSAA on one side and Chris' name on the opposite, a picture of a saluting captain underneath. In the center was a large sapphire. Chris was speechless when he saw it and I think I even saw the glistening of a tear gathering in his eyes. He stood and went over to where Piers was sitting and kissed him hard on the mouth. Piers was ultimately startled, but leaned into the kiss. It wasn't a passionate kiss, yet there was more emotion than I had seen demonstrated between lovers in a long time. Chris pulled away and Piers opened the package from me with the watch inside. He was so excited to see it that he jumped off the couch to hug me, his face still red from the kiss. I on the other hand receive a present from both men. It was a crystal necklace in the shape of a heart. Tears came to my own eyes, I felt like I didn't even deserve this present from them.

"Thank you," was all I could manage to squeak out. Piers and Chris chuckles and we ended up in a group hug with my arms around Chris' waist and Piers sandwiching me in the middle.

We finished opening the gifts, laughing and crying, and celebrating like a true family in the spirit of the season. The gifts I received from them are ones I would never trade since each held sentimental meaning, symbolic for the things we had each been through and attaching the new memories of such joy of this wonderful Christmas. Nothing made me happier than just seeing Chris sitting on the couch, Piers curled up next to him looking with such adoration, with a bow perched on the top of his head. Chris was whispering quietly, a smile lit up his battle-hardened face. It was the best Christmas present I could have received.

"What time is it?" I asked Piers with a grin.

"A quarter to noon," Piers replied looking down at his new watch.

"Dammit!" I exclaimed. I jumped up from my spot on the couch and scurried into the kitchen. I heated up the ovens before popping in the multitudes of food I had cooked the day before. I ran around crazily, but soon Chris came in and maneuvered me into the living room with an order to stay there until the food had finished heating up. I started to protest, but he shot me a stern look that shut me up immediately.

Piers and I sat together, talking about life here before either Chris or I had joined the BSAA. I edited out several key parts, but other than that I ended up tell him the truth, mostly. Piers listened to my stories, enraptured with how differently we had grown up compared to his own childhood. He occasionally would tell me about his life back in Wisconsin.

Piers told me about how his mother and father had been married for ten years, not quite as unhappily as one would imagine. His parents had stayed in good standing in their relationship; they had just woken up one morning and realized that their marriage had not been right for a while. His father had remarried exactly three months later to a woman he could not stand. His mother had remained single. His father had never been a positive figure in Piers' life, and that was the reason Piers had joined the BSAA-to prove to his father that he _could_ accomplish something. His father was another reason that Chris' drinking problem had been such a big issue for him. Piers' father had been an alcoholic for most of his life and he did not want to see Chris follow that same path.

I hugged Piers tightly. His story was one that struck close to home. He had come from a different, yet equally as difficult background and that was something I could wholeheartedly respect.

"Dinner is served!" Chris sang, waltzing through the doorway. I couldn't help but to let out a laugh. Chris was wearing a white apron, tied behind his back. I quickly tried to cover it up with a cough, but that only made things worse. Chris shot me a disapproving look, but there was _no way_I could take him seriously with the apron on. Chris ripped the apron off with a roll of his eyes, throwing it into the chair beside him.

"I love you!" I replied in the same kind of singy-songy voice he had used to announce dinner. He rolled his eyes at me again and turned to go into the dining room. Piers and I followed him, sitting down at the table. We had decided to serve tea at this dinner, just because we all agreed it was too early to drink wine, well Piers and I did.

"It all looks so good," Piers said, dishing out little portions of all the food on to his plate. "You two are going to make me fat by the time the season is over." His latter comment caused Chris and I to laugh aloud.

"Don't thank me," Chris replied. "Sierra was the ultimate cook." I felt the color rise to my cheeks and I muttered a thanks.

Dinner passed quickly, much more so than I could have thought possible. We feasted like lords, eating the many different kinds of foods I had prepared. Though halfway through the meal the doorbell rang. I looked to Chris curiously, but he only shrugged in response, we had not anticipated any newcomers. I stood, placing my napkin on the table beside my plate, and went to investigate.

I saw a figure through the glass in the door and I smiled when I realized who it was. I opened the door and threw my arms around the man on the porch. He touched his lips to mine in a gentle kiss. I leaned up to deepen it, but I heard Chris clear his throat deliberately from behind me. I pulled away with a smile and looked into the face that I loved.

"Merry Christmas Jake," I whispered.

"Merry Christmas Sierra," Jake replied, kissing me chastely. I led him inside, hanging his coat up on the rack.

"Please, have something to eat, we have plenty," I said, motioning to the food on the table. I giggled when I noticed his eyes widen at the sight of so much food, their aromas mixing together to create the smell of home.

"Who made all this?" he asked, taking a small plate.

"Sierra," Piers replied, stuffing his mouth with a bit of ham and croissant. "She is one of the best cooks I have ever had the pleasure of knowing!"

"You did all this?!" Jake asked looking to me in surprise. I nodded sheepishly, taking a bite of my own croissant.

Dinner soon turned to talk about military tactics-used or otherwise and I sort of zoned out. I loved what I do, but this was not a subject that I necessarily wanted to talk about during my holiday dinner. I pushed my food around on my plate lazily, too full to take another bite.

"Sierra!" Chris shouted, snapping his fingers in front of my face. I blinked, shaking my head, and looked up at him.

"What?" I asked, coming out of my reverie.

"Are you going to get ready for the ball this evening?" Chris asked, frowning at me.

"What time is it?" I asked looking around. The table had been cleared and the men-folk were getting up to get ready. The sun had sunk father into the west; apparently I had been daydreaming for several hours, how many I couldn't be sure of.

"The dance is in two hours," Piers replied. I jumped up, almost knocking my plate off the table. How had the time passed so quickly?! There was almost no way I could get ready in that amount of time! Cursing I pushed past the guys and ran upstairs to my room. I took a quick, thirty-minute shower before hurrying to change. My wet auburn hair was wrapped in a turban on the top of my head to help the drying process. I took the purple gown out of the closet and stared at it with pride. I took it off the hook and stepped into it, zipping it with only a little bit of difficulty to speak of.

Next thing I had to deal with was my hair. I dried it and curled it to the best of my abilities. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely passable. I let them hang down and frame my face, softening my porcelain features. Satisfied with my hair, I began to apply a little bit of mascara, eye liner, and eye-shadow to my face to accent my eyes and my dress. I had never been much of a make-up type of person so I wasn't going to cry if it wasn't perfect.

The last thing I had to do before I could present myself was accessorize. I decided that the crystal necklace that Chris and Piers had given to me this morning would accent the sweetheart neckline perfectly. I clipped it shut and admired myself in the mirror. The only thing I could recognize in my reflection was the ice blue eyes that stared back at me.

"Sierra! Are you ready yet?!" Chris shouted up the stairs. I scurried to put my heels on before flying down the stairs to meet them.

"You look gorgeous!" Jake said as I took his arm. I smiled up at him, for the first time I actually believed him. I _felt_gorgeous.

The chauffeur opened the door for us outside of the gallery. I stepped out, following Jake. Chris and Piers were right behind us. There were many people milling about outside, most of them civilians, but some were part of the festivities that were to take place tonight.

Inside the grand hall had been transformed from a simply art gallery to ball room. The lights had been dimmed whilst icicle lights hung from the ceiling. Two large, elegant Christmas trees stood in opposite corners. A long table sat at the front of the hall, that's where the top commanders would sit. Nearly forty smaller, round tables were situated near the back of the room. A DJ was set up in the corner, spitting out pop track after pop track and a large space was open in the center of the room as a dance floor. In the opposite corner was an open bar, much to my dismay.

We arrived just in time to hear the head of the BSAA's speech. We stood respectively at the back of the hall, amidst several other party goers. He talked about our mission, what we do, how we protect the good of the common people, etc. I can't say I was all that impressed with his speech, but it seemed like the civilians in attendance were in awe of the words he spoke to them. I looked at Chris who simply rolled his eyes; I could tell he had the same opinion as me. If Piers or Jake had an opinion they kept it to themselves.

After the initial toast, we were free to mingle. I found that many of the young men found me very intriguing. I kept getting swept away from Jake as they asked for a dance, which I could tell was putting not only myself and Jake on edge but Chris and Piers as well, so soon I started declining their invitations. I had come with Jake and I wanted to spend time with my new boyfriend. I let loose, letting the pounding music take over my body, it had been years since I had danced like that.

I had lost sight of my brother and Piers after the first few songs. I think I saw Chris heading to the open bar, but after that I could not find them amongst the crowd at all. I knew I shouldn't be too worried, Chris was a grown man, he could take care of himself. Besides, Piers was there to talk some common sense into that thick head of my brother's.

After almost three hours the crowd began to thin out. There were only a few people left, most had decided that they supported our cause, paid their dues, and had left. Though a few operatives had stayed behind to enjoy the ball put on by our employers for our enjoyment, something we were bereft of when we were working. It was a nice change to our everyday lives.

The DJ was playing a slow song and I had my arms wrapped around Jake's neck lazily as he clutched to my waist. We tried to waltz to the music, even though it was not really a traditional ballroom dancing song, but that didn't really turn out well. I did however catch a glimpse or two of Chris and Piers. They were huddled in the back corner in the lowlights. Chris' hand were around Piers' waist and they swayed languidly to the slow music, gazing into the eyes of each other. As I looked on Chris leaned his head down, resting his forehead on his fellow soldiers'. Piers pulled his captain closer to him, lending his comfort and strength.

As the beat changed, so did their dancing. A more upbeat song began to play Chris raised their arms and twirled Piers once before pulling him back close. I noticed above them was a sprig of mistletoe and apparently Chris noticed this as well. He leaned down and pecked Piers upon the cheek. Piers chuckled and closed the distance between them, taking Chris' face into his hands, and kissed him properly.


	7. Chapter 7

Several weeks had passed since the Christmas ball and I could see that both Chris and Piers were beginning to get anxious. Neither had been used to simply sitting around, no orders, nothing to do. Chris had begun to get back into working out, shedding the pounds he had gained over the Christmas holiday. Unfortunately Piers was still healing up from his injection of the C-virus and Chris would not let him work out extensively. So Piers had started running with me to at least get a little bit of exercise. The rest of his time was spent on the shooting range, letting out his pent up anger over being limited in his abilities.

"Sierra," Piers said walking up to me as I painted in my studio.

"Hey Piers," I replied, looking up from the canvas in front of me.

"Your painting is fantastic!" he exclaimed. He leaned in to get a closer look at the oil painting. It was a carnival-like take on Alice in Wonderland.

"Thank you!" I replied, smiling. I wiped a bead of sweat off my forehead and turned down the music. I loved to listen to Japanese music when I painted. Their songs all painted such interesting images in my mind, lending in part to my creativity.

"I have a favor to ask of you," Piers said, his eyes intensely focused on me, almost as if he was afraid I would turn him away.

"Shoot," I replied, arching my eyebrow.

"I want you to train me," Piers said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Train you?" I asked confused. "You know what Chris said about you training. He doesn't want you to put too much strain on yourself."

"That's why I want you to train me," he replied. "You know the limitations that I have."

"Piers, I am no good at physical training," I said setting down my paintbrush and wiping my hands on my apron.

"No! No, no, no, no!" Piers laughed. "I want you to train me using this stupid power!" A little electricity fizzled under his skin as he laughed. My eyes widened as I realized what he was asking of me. I knew how to channel power, but it had been a long time since I had ever actually used it as a weapon.

"Let me think about it," I replied in a shaky voice. Piers caught the hesitation in my voice and nodded, letting out a sigh. He turned and walked out of the room, his head hung. I stood and put my paints away, without saying a word. Thoughts were whirling through my mind, was it worth it? The last time I had tried to use the blackness within me I had ended up unconscious in the hospital. My gut was telling me that this was not a good idea, but I knew that he would not rest until I had agreed. He might leave me alone about it for today and maybe tomorrow, but he would come back. He needed to know his limits and he would not rest until he knew his own limits. Before I knew it, my mind was made up.

I walked through the halls to try to find Piers, but I was having some difficulties locating him. I did find Chris hanging out in the indoor "gym". He was working on strengthening the muscles he felt had lost some of their mass. Chris grunted in greeting so I simply rolled my eyes and walked away.

"What are you up to?" Chris asked, joining me in my search. He wiped his brow with a sweat towel before tossing it on to his shoulder.

"I am looking for Piers," I replied, slightly repulsed. Chris smirked at me, realizing that I was being squeamish. I stuck my tongue out at him, like I used to when we were kids. He laughed and simply ruffled my hair.

"I think he was heading this way," Chris said, as we headed out the back door.

Finally we found Piers. He was outside at the shooting range, his sniper rifle in hand. I noticed though that he was wearing his new sniper scarf that I had bought him for Christmas. He was focusing through the telescope when he heard us trudging across the frozen ground, the hard grass crunching beneath our feet. He fired the shot before turning to look at us.

"Hey Captain, hey Sierra," Piers said. Chris nodded with a sunny smile in response, but I didn't say anything in reply. I felt bad when I heard his tone of voice. He was still a little upset and hurt that I hadn't agreed to train him.

"I've made up my mind," I said to him once he had taken off the silencing headset.

"Will you train me?" Piers asked, looking up with a bright smile.

"Yeah," I replied with a heavy sigh. "I would rather train you then have you try it on your own and accidentally overexert yourself."

"Thank you!" Piers exclaimed. He set the rifle on the ground gently before pulling me into his arms, spinning me around. I laughed nervously as he put me down. Chris went and stood a little father back, towards the house. He was curious to see what would happen. He almost seemed a little skeptical to see what we were capable of.

"So what do I do?" Piers asked excitedly.

"Okay, so like I mentioned you do not control the energy inside of you. You are simply its guide," I said. "You must ground yourself; the Earth is your balance." I planted my feet firmly on the ground, about shoulder-width apart. My knees bent slightly to balance out my equilibrium. I breathed in deeply, guiding the inner energy with my hand. I let it flow down through my stomach and out of my body. This led the mist away from my heart, eliminating slightly the possibility of the virus infecting my heart again. The black, shadowy mist shot out of my palm, straight into an old pine tree. The tree twisted in on itself, shriveling into a blackened stick, the needles turned to ash and fell in a pile at the base of the stick.

"Holy shit," Chris exclaimed behind me. I turned and grinned lopsidedly at him. I let my hair fall over my face; I wished he had not seen what I had just done. I had only shown Piers because it was absolutely necessary for him.

"So like this?" Piers asked. He copied my stance and the motions I had made with my hands, shooting electricity out of his arm. It wasn't much, but did fry the tree next to the once I had desecrated.

"You forgot to breathe in, that's where your power will come from," I replied. He nodded and tried once more, still not much happened.

"Here, watch my movements once more," I said. I went into my stance once more and passed the energy through my body, shooting the mist out of my palm once more. Another tree fell victim to the blackness that I lived with. I was beginning to feel faint, but I ignored the warning signals, and I motioned for Piers to try again. Piers copied my stance once more, breathed in, and guided his energy out of his body. This time a steady stream of powerful electricity exploded against the next tree, shattering it into splinters, which flew across the range. Chris had to duck, running closer to us so he wouldn't be impaled by the large shrapnel.

"There you go!" I said, with a smile. "Do that again."

"Damn Sierra," Chris laughed, punching my arm. I grinned at him and took my stance beside Piers. Together we shot the different strains of the C-virus at the target. The white electricity intertwined with the blackness and they swirled together, gaining speed as they flew towards the target. It exploded as well, though not as impressively as the tree.

"Did you see that Captain?!" Piers asked, turning to look at Chris. Chris' however wore an expression of true shock. In all his time working with bioterrorism he had seen nothing like it, it was a weapon that could be turned against Simmons if the right precautions were taken.

I prepared to shoot another stream off, but something was wrong. The energy inside me, which had been benign for so many years, was beginning to stir. I simply gritted my teeth and started to guide the energy, but I couldn't. Pain was ripping through my body. I could feel the blackness boiling inside me. It flowed through my limbs, bringing a whole new meaning to the word exhausting. I sank to my knees, clutching my heart which was searing as if a white hot rod was spearing it through the center. I looked up to see Piers and Chris saying something to me, but I couldn't hear them at all. Their responses were almost comical, except for the severity of the situation. Blackness was beginning to creep around the edges of my vision and it was getting harder for me to see. I doubled over as a strange tingling sensation sent a thrill throughout my veins. I felt my body start to convulse and Chris' rough hands on my temples. He was kneeling behind me, holding my head in his lap. The last thing I remember seeing was his face. His hazel eyes stared down into my icy blue ones with concern and worry. I could see him mouthing something, looking up at Piers who was kneeling on the ground beside me.

Chris watched helplessly as Sierra's eyes rolled back into the back of her head. Her body was convulsing violently on the ground in front of him. He held her head to try and keep her from harming it. He had never known her to have seizures, or anyone else in their family. A feeling in his gut told him this had been brought on by the training.

Piers, worn out as well, but he was terrified of what was going to happen to Sierra. He had grown to love her as much as a brother would love his own sister. She had opened her home to him and had been a most gracious host, helping him with things that only she could. Guilt tore at him, scratching his soul and torturing his mind. He felt this predicament was completely his fault, he had pressured into training him to use the virus.

"Captain-" Piers began looking up at Chris, his eyes sorrowful.

"Not now soldier," Chris snapped, focusing his attention back on his baby sister. Something was wrong; five minutes had passed since her seizure had begun. He had never heard of one lasting so long without permanent damage to the person.

"Sierra, come on," Chris whispered to her, stroking the side of her face.

Piers looked sadly at the pair of siblings before him. Chris couldn't lose her. The poor man had already lost two of his squads before; losing his sister would be the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Dammit Sierra!" Chris shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. "You can pull through this!" A tear slipped from his eye and glistened in the sunlight before sliding down his cheek.

Sierra stopped convulsing, lying perfectly still on the cold ground. Chris' heart leapt, but almost immediately sank when he realized he could not see the rise and fall of her chest. His worst fears were beginning to surface and all he wanted to do was scream.

Piers noticed it at almost the exact time that Chris did and he crawled over to Sierra's limp body. He set his hands over her heart, which made Chris growl, but Piers shot him a sharp look silencing the older man. Piers breathed in deeply, calming his nerves before guiding some of his energy and his electricity into Sierra. He felt her heart respond, only slightly, but it stopped when he pulled his energy back. He tried again, but he only got the same response from her. He tried one last time, afraid to overload her body with electricity. He knew that if he tried this one time too many he could hurt her chances of recovering, rather than helping her. Unfortunately he got the same response as before.

Piers raised his eyes to meet Chris'. Every hope Chris had every felt disappeared. Emptiness was the only thing he could feel. He didn't even notice that he was outright crying, his tears landing in Sierra's hair. Piers couldn't form words to express his sorrow to his captain. Together they just sat there and mourned the loss of Sierra.


	8. Epilogue

Piers couldn't find Chris. He had searched the house multiple times, yet his Captain was nowhere to be found. He was beginning to become worried. It was the night before the wedding, and he feared that Chris would be a no show. His heart raced as he ran through the manor, shouting for Chris.

"What the hell do you want?!" came a slurred response from the kitchen. Piers slammed on his heels to stop himself. He peeked through the doorway and let out his breath. This surprised him; he hadn't realized he had been holding it. What didn't surprise him was finding Chris on the floor, leaning against the refrigerator, a bottle of beer in his hands.

"Captain," Piers said with a heavy sigh. He had been afraid of this very thing. After Sierra's funeral several weeks ago Chris had been falling more and more into his old addiction of alcoholism.

"Hello Piers," Chris said, perking up when his fellow soldier walked into the room. He took another swig from the glass bottle in his hands.

Piers didn't reply, but took the bottle from Chris' hands, setting it on the counter behind him. He then helped Chris to stand, letting the other man lean on his weight, but Chris did something that Piers wasn't expecting.

Chris maneuvered Piers back against the cabinets, running his hands along Piers' abs and he could feel the electricity that spider-webbed just underneath his soldier's skin. His mouth crashed down on to Pier's lips, kissing him roughly. He nibbled on Piers' lower lip, begging for access into his mouth. Piers obligingly parted his lips and Chris' tongue entered. Chris explored Piers' orifice and massaged his tongue. The taste of alcohol was overpoweringly strong in Chris' mouth.

Piers was on sensory overload as his Captain paid so much attention to him. His hands had found their way to Chris' waist, holding on to him, otherwise Piers was afraid he would have melted to the floor in a puddle. Chris however had other plans. Chris' hands, which had been preoccupied with Piers' abs, had slowly slid farther south. He began to work at the buckle on Piers' belt. That brought Piers crashing back into reality. Piers pushed Chris back, panting heavily. He cast an angry glance at Chris and walked out of the room, leaving Chris standing in the middle of the kitchen confused.

Piers heard Chris jogging behind him to catch up, but Piers didn't turn around to look at him, he was too upset. Chris put his hand on Piers' shoulder to stop him. Piers shrugged his hand off and kept walking. Chris wasn't going to stand for that. Chris spun Piers around, pushing him against the wall.

"What the hell is going on?!" Chris asked, his hazel eyes searching Piers' own silver gray ones.

"Chris, you can't do this anymore!" Piers replied angrily, pushing Chris off.

"What the hell are you talking about, soldier?!" Chris asked.

"This, Chris!" Piers exclaimed, motioning to Chris. "Your drinking!"

"Dammit Piers, what the hell are you going on about?!" Chris swore.

"You have to stop drinking! If not for me, then for Sierra!" Piers shouted. He instantly felt guilty as pain flashed across Chris' face, but he knew it was going to be the only way to get his point across. Chris stumbled back, tears welling in his eyes.

"I can't let the great Chris Redfield sink to levels he doesn't belong," Piers went on. "You have to be strong. Think of all the people that count on you, Captain. Think of the mission." Chris nodded and sighed. Piers walked over and pulled the other man into his arms, holding him in a warm embrace.

"Dammit Piers, why do you always have to be right?" Chris asked into Piers' shoulder. This comment only made Piers chuckle.

"Come on Captain," Piers said. He took Chris' hand and let him to the bedroom. Together they crawled into the large bed, cuddling up together. Piers held Chris against him, lending comfort and strength to him. It wasn't long before they fell asleep like that.

The next day was a whirlwind for both men. Claire Redfield came over at seven in the morning to collect Piers, much to Chris' disappointment. Piers was to spend the day with the bridesmaids while Chris was to stay at the manor with the groomsmen. Neither wanted to part after the conversation the night before, but Claire was bull-headed and was not leaving without Piers.

Reluctantly Piers hugged Chris one last time before climbing into Claire's Benz. Piers sat quietly, reflecting on this day, whilst Claire prattled on about how excited she was. She, along with Jill and Sherry, were honored to take part in one of the very first same-sex marriages in the state of New York. Piers was just grateful that they had helped so much to put the wedding together in such a short amount to time, slightly over a month.

The day flew by; he watched the transformation from their every day jeans and tee-shirts to the stunning violet silk gowns with silver brooches on the right side. The color had been Sierra's favorite color. The three girls wore their hair down and curled, framing their faces softly. Each had on silver eye-shadow and a light pink lipstick. Piers was glad that he simply had to change into his military suit. He let the girls fuss about him, styling his hair just right, but in the end he had to fix it, much to the girls' annoyance.

Chris on the other hand was sitting around with the other men. Piers and Chris had had a lot harder time picking out his grooms men, finally they had decided that Leon would be the best man, while Claire's brother, David, and Piers' two brothers, Matthew and Deryck, would be the groomsmen. Chris sat back and let them talk about marriage, the BSAA, and other things, but he wasn't really listening. His mind kept wandering to what Piers had said last night. It was hard for him to swallow his pride and realize that Piers was right. He couldn't let his alcoholism get the better of him. It disrespected Sierra's memory because he had always been her hero; she had always looked up to him. As well, it couldn't affect his career with the BSAA, too much was at stake.

"Chris, you there?" David asked, shaking Chris' shoulder. Chris shook himself out of his reverie and looked up at his cousin.

"Yeah, I'm here," Chris replied.

"Are you going to get ready?" Matthew asked, raising his eyebrow.

"What time is it?!" Chris asked sitting up. Looking around he realized that the other men in the room were all already dressed in their outfits-black tuxedos with black pleated shirts and violet ties and vests.

"It's almost two-thirty," Matthew replied, checking his watch. Chris swore and bolted out of the room. He shut the door behind him and quickly changed into his own navy blue military suit. He was supposed to be at the ceremony at three o'clock. Where had the last three hours gone? He brushed his teeth and laced his shoes, before racing back into the living room where the four men were waiting for him.

"You good to go?" David asked. Chris nodded nervously. As he climbed into the back of Matthew's truck the excitement of the day really hit Chris. Butterflies danced dementedly in his stomach as he got closer to the botanical gardens.

"Here we are," Deryck said, opening the door for Chris.

Chris stepped out of the truck and looked around in wonder. Overnight the gardens had been transformed from a frozen dead land to a green wonderland. A trellis covered in laurels, lilies, and roses stood in front of a large fountain on the top of a raised dias, but what really caught his attention was the large portrait that stood in the place where the maid of honor would normally be. His eyes widened and he walked over to it, running his fingers over the porcelain cheek of the girl. Her ice blue eyes stared back at him, the glint of her smile reflected there.

"I will make you proud, Misty," Chris whispered. "I promise." A small white butterfly encircled the portrait of Sierra, landing on Chris' shoulder. He smiled; Sierra had always loved the little white butterflies that would migrate to meadows that surrounded the manor in the spring.

Chris stood up in front of the trellis as the music started, it didn't even register in his mind that there slightly over a hundred people in attendance, their attention focused on him. Leon grinned at him toothily as he walked up the isle by himself since the maid of honor could not attend. He was followed by Claire and David, arms looped together, after them was Jill and Matthew, and finally came Sherry and Deryck. The wedding march began playing and the guests rose to stand as Piers stood at the other end of the aisle, his arms linked with his mother's.

Chris gasped; everything felt like it was in slow motion. The only thing he could focus on was Piers. His silver eyes were locked on Chris' own hazel ones and his smile was infectious. Chris was so happy, overjoyed. He had never imagined his wedding like this, but it was everything he had ever wanted. He could see the same joy reflected in Piers' face.

Chris stepped down and took Piers' hand after he had kissed his mother on the cheek. Piers flashed Chris a smile and together they stood on the raised platform. Neither really heard much of what the minister was saying, they were too absorbed in the magic of such a special day.

"Now my dear friends, it is time for these two wonderful men to pledge their love for one another," the minister said, raising his arms. "This couple has chosen to prepare their own sacred vows to bind them forever more." Piers pulled a tiny piece of paper from his breast pocket with one hand and held Chris' hand with the other.

"I, pledge to you Captain, endless strength that you can count on when you are weak. I'll be your music when you can't hear, your sunshine when you can't see, or your cologne when you can't smell. You'll never need to look farther than me. I'll be your days and nights when you need them filled, your spark of life in the darkness, your hope when you're down and out," Piers said, his voice cracking with emotion. Tears had begun to gather in the couple's eyes, but then it was Chris' turn.

"I, Chris, take you, Piers, to be my husband-my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live," Chris vowed in replied to Piers' profession of adulation.

The minister held out his hands and Leon presented the rings to him before resuming his place amongst the groomsmen. The minister extended his free hand over the rings. He prayed a short prayer of blessing over them.

"You have for each other special rings- symbols that love is the most precious element in your life together. The ring has no beginning and no ending, which symbolizes that the love between you will never cease. You place these rings upon each other's fingers as a visible sign of your vows this day, unifying you as husbands," the minister said. He handed a ring to Chris and nodded.

Chris took Piers' left hand into his own. He slid the plain silver tungsten ring onto his finger, saying in a choked up voice, "Piers, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. As it encircles your finger, may it remind you that you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love." A tear slipped down the large man's face, a tear of joy. The minister smiled and handed the remaining ring to Piers.

"Captain, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love for you. Let it be a reminder that I am always by your side and I will always be a faithful partner to you," Piers said, slipping the identical ring on to Chris' left ring finger.

"By the power invested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and husband!" the minister said proudly. "You may now kiss."

Piers grabbed Chris by the waist and pulled him close. Piers touched his lips to Chris' gently. Chris took Piers' face in his hands, deepening the kiss as the attendees stood and cheered loudly. The couple pulled away and joined hands, laughing as they walked down the center aisle together for the first as a married couple.

"Today, we start the rest of our lives together," Piers murmured into Chris' shoulder as the other man held him close.

"And I can't wait, Piers," Chris replied softly, a smile spreading across his smile. "I wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else."


End file.
